Midterm Question1Tokugawa Ieyasu was a great samurai fighter and cunning politician. In battle of Sekigahara Tokugawa defeated his major rivals and established Tokugawa government. His headquarter was established in village of Edo away from the imperial families in Kyoto. Ieyasu and successors choose to rule as shoguns, or feudal lords, demanding loyalty from the daimyo and exercising direct control only over their own territorial domains. The people saw the emperor as divine descent of sun goddess Amatersau, however, established the emperor as the ultimate source of political authority and surrounded the imperial throne with thicket of taboos that protected it from usurpation. Tokugawa and his politicians created some policies to keep japan from rebelling and try to control over the society. They divided the feudal lords into three categories: Fudai, Shimpan and Tozama daimyos. The fudai daimyo, descended from members of the original tokugawa vassal band or men who had been made daimyo by Ieyasu and his successors, identified most closely with the interests of bakufu. Their territories frequently abutted Tokugawa lands, protecting their flanks, and the bakufu's highest officials were drawn from their ranks. The Tozama daimyo were descended from allies of Ieyasu too strong to be considered his direct vassals or from daimyo that submitted to his suzerainty only after battle of Sekigahara. Their domains were large, on average twice the size of the fudai daimyo, and usually located on the periphery of the archipelago. The shimpan daimyo was newly created by the family, their houses were branch houses set up to placate the sons of elderly shoguns who did not inherit the office and to provide collateral successors to the main line.

In 1615, Tokugawa pass the law for military housing. Ieyasu created Sankin-Kotai or alternate attendance system. This required that each lord of daimyo to spend 6 months year spent in Edo. Policy kept daimyo lords on move and...

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...﻿Adriana Vazquez 1
TokugawaJapanTokugawa rule was a turning point for Japan, economically and socially. It brought about new changes and fresh ideas. Even though it was a military dictatorship in theory, it was a necessary step to advance Japan. It was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and throughout the almost three hundred years of the regime it was run by Tokugawa shoguns.
TheTokugawa period lasted from 1600 to 1867 during which time the Tokugawa family became the unchallenged rulers of Japan. Tokugawa Ieyasu was a powerful Honshu daimyo. Ieyasu rode the coat tails of his predecessor, Hideyoshi, and because Hideyoshi put Ieyasu on a five member Board of Regents he already had power and control of his own. But after Hideyoshi’s death in 1598 Ieyasu quickly seized control from the Toyotomi family.
Even though Ieyasu failed to completely control the western daimyo he assumed the title of shogun which helped to form a system of alliance. When he had strengthened his base of power, he made his son, Hidetada, shogun and Ieyasu took the title ‘retired shogun’ in 1605. After he retired he devoted the next decade to tearing down and destroying the Toyotomi , the previous ruling family, who was still a great threat. The Tokugawa army finally obliterated the Toyotomi stronghold at Osaka in 1615. At the Battle...

... Feudal Japan
Research topic influenced by one of the two Main sources: The last Samurai Directed by Edward Zwick and Rurouni Kenshin Anime series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki.
My research is based on Samurais and their way of living. I want to bring out the history behind feudal Japan where Samurai warriors were a big part of. The movie Last Samurai, directed by Edward Zwick, main actor Tom Cruise, and Rurouni Kenshin's Anime series which was written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki which is one of the two things that inspired me to research and write about Samurais. Last Samurai is based on the Japanese history during the end of the 18th century and the start of the 19th century. The movie shows how desperate the Samurais became to preserve Japanese culture during the era of globalization in Japan and the struggle between thousand year old traditions of a Samurai soldier using a sword as his weapon, with the establishment of modern day weapons in Japan. During this time period the Japanese started to exchange modernized products and education with various other cultures such as the European’s and the American’s. This change became a threat to the old Japanese culture which the Samurai warriors devoted their life to.
Rurouni Kenshin is a name of a Samurai who fought the great Boshin war during the Meiji...

...Tokugawa Shogunate: Strengths and Weaknesses
Robert H. Webb
History 483
Professor John H. Sagers
6 August 2010
The death of emperor Hideyoshi and subsequent ascension to the throne of Hideyori in 1598 set into motion events that would alter the political landscape in Japan for the next two hundred and fifty years. Tokugawa Ieyasu, in his quest to become absolute ruler of Japan defeated Hideyori loyalists in the battle of Sekigahara and was appointed Shogun by Hideyori in 1603. This military “coup d’état” effectively gave Tokugawa complete control of Japan and reduced the emperor to little more than a figurehead in the governing of Japan. As history would show, the feudal system of government that Tokugawa created ultimately led to Japan’s movement from an isolated country to the first industrialized Asian nation.
Although effectively a military dictatorship, the Tokugawa shogunate had the positive effect of unifying Japan under one government. Prior to Tokugawa being appointed as shogun Japan was a fragmented nation with many clan leaders. By completing his power grab, Tokugawa effectively joined the three main islands of Japan. Japan entered a period of prolonged peace in which many changes could occur. Tokugawa established a...

...﻿Professor Dayna Barnes
HIST 130-01
March 2, 2014
The differences between the state structure of TokugawaJapan and Qing China
In the 18th century, the Qing founded by the Manchus was a large and very powerful empire between 1644-1912. During this period, the Qing was strong and prosperous. And the population kept growing. In the two outstanding emperors’ rule, the national territory got the widest range in history. But with the increasing of population, the Qing was without progress in basic technology, and gradually it made China become debilitated. Ultimately China was unable to resist the Opium War and the pressure from foreigners. In Japan, Daimyo Hideyoshi died in 1598, and was replaced by Tokugawa Leyasu, and then Tokugawa established Edo as the capital, from 1603 to 1868. People couldn’t leave the island, and foreigners couldn’t get in. This close-door policy made Japanese do not know the outside world, and finally it was forced to open its doors by Americans. So how was the structure of the two states? Is it the same or different? There are five significant differences between the state structure of Tokugawa and Qing state, such as the emperors, political system, examination system, government control and economy system.
When Manchus conquered China in 1644, and in order to control China, it gave the several ways of Qing government to control the whole...

...The Tokugawa Era of JapanJapan before the Tokugawa Era was a nation of warring states. The Tokugawa shoguns changed social class structures, agriculture, and manufacturing in the country by consolidating trends which had been in the making for some time (East Asia, p. 279) and brought Japan into a unified and productive state which lasted from about 1603 until 1800. Urbanization, economic growth, and social changes were natural and predictable outcomes of the shogunate philosophy.
The Tokugawa period, also known as the Edo Period, found the country under the rule of the Tokugawa shoguns and the country’s 300 regional daimyo. It was characterized by economic growth, strict social orders, isolationist foreign policies, an increase in both environment protection and popular enjoyment of arts and culture.
After a long stretch of deep conflict, one of the first goals of the newly established government of Tokugawa was to conciliate the country. This created a balance of power that remained and was influenced by the Confucian principles of social order. The daimyo were put under tight control of the shogunate. A system called Sankin Kotai compelled families and the daimyo themselves to dwell in Edo for a year and in their own regions for the next (East Asia, p. 280). This system allowed the shoguns to maintain control of...

...﻿ “Rise and Fall of the Tokugawa Regime”
The Tokugawa period (1603-1868), also called the Edo period, was the final phase of traditional Japan. It was a time of internal peace, political stability, and economic growth under the shogunate founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu. As shogun, Ieyasu achieved dominance over the entire country by balancing the power of “potentially hostile domains with strategically placed allies and collateral houses” (McClain 1944 pg. 31). It was an era of oppressive rule where the hierarchical division between samurai, peasant, artisan, and merchant were strictly maintained. As a further strategy of control, Ieyasu’s successor required the daimyo to maintain households in the Tokugawa administrative capital of Edo and reside there for several months every other year. This resulting system of semi-autonomous domains directed by the central authority of the Tokugawa shogunate lasted for more than 250 years. However, the eventual breakdown of social hierarchy and the failure to prevent foreign visitations led to the gradual downfall of the Tokugawa regime.
As part of Ieyasu’s systematic plan to maintain stability, he prohibited the mobility between the four classes (i.e., samurais, peasants, artisans, and merchants). The military caste of the samurai dominated the politics of Japan. A lot of members of the samurai resided in the capital and...

...Jonathan Mendez
Global Civilization II
Professor Michael Efthimiades
March 6, 2009
Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan’s History
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the Tokugawa bakufu, and the Edo bakufu was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city of Edo, now Tokyo. The Tokugawa shogunate ruled from Edo Castle from 1603 until 1868, when it was abolished during the Meiji Restoration.
Before the Tokugawa period there were additional movements amongst these classes, but the Tokugawa Shoguns intentions were to maintain their power and privilege, which in fact restricted any other movements. There main focus was to protect the samurai which made any upward mobility from the farming class to the samurai impossible. In 1586 shogun Hideyoshi dictated that farmers maintain on their land and then on 1587 he dictated again that only samurai would be allowed to carry the long sword, which would later define them as a class. The shoguns were becoming less successful as economic conditions changed, but managed to maintain the rigid boundaries separating the other classes.
The population was divided into four distinct classes: samurai, farmers, craftspeople, and traders. Samurai were the warrior class which was...

...Term | Definition | Historical Importance |
Shogun | Hereditary commander in chief in Feudal Japan | The shogun had all the military power in feudal Japan and had more power then even the emperor who was seen to be as just a symbol. |
Sankin Kotai (alternate attendance) | A system started in 1635 that forced all daimyao to travel and stay in Edo for a term, where they would then leave their wife and children before returning to their land. | In doing this the Shogun ensured the subservience of the Daimyao. This system opened up a lot of commerce in both the traveling route and in Edo. It was an effective use of political control because it created a “hostage” situation with the families of the Daimyaos ensuring loyalty. |
Fudai Daimyo | A class of daimyaos who were vassels of Tokugawa Ieyasu. They were the most loyal and trusted of the Daimyao. | They were placed strategically around Edo as they were the most loyal and held most rapport in the shoguns council |
Baku-han System | This was the feudal military government system of the Edo period | The leaders of the government were Shoguns who has rule over certain domains but were all in allegiance with Tokugawa Ieyasu. The Daimyao ruled from a castle in Edo hense the time period is refered to as the Edo Perios. |
Rangaku (Dutch Learnings) | When japan was isolated to trade from foreigners they still learned from the west things like...